See Also

Today, streaming video game service OnLive announced its new app and wireless controller for smartphones and tablets.

Essentially what this means is that you can play top tier games like L.A. Noire and Batman: Arkham City on your iPad, which is completely insane. Even last year I wouldn't have dreamed of playing games as gorgeous as these on a smartphone or tablet device.

The OnLive app is free, so all that's left to pay is the price of the game, and the price of the wireless controller ($49.99, if you want to use one).

OnLive is a streaming game service. Think of it like it's Netflix streaming movies, except you're actually interacting with the streaming content.

When you touch the iPad's screen while playing an OnLive game, your touch is beamed to an OnLive server farm where it interacts with the game. Then, video is beamed back to your iPad, all in a split second.

If your internet connection is speedy, it feels like you're playing a game on Xbox or Playstation 3. And your iPad won't even get hot. Button presses feel instantaneous. It's kind of magical.

One of the most useful aspects of OnLive is that since all of your games and game data are in the cloud, you can pick up right where you left off on any PC, Mac, iPad 2, Galaxy Tab, and even a Kindle Fire. You can also play OnLive on your TV using the $99.99 MicroConsole and wireless controller.

Since all the data processing is being done elsewhere, whatever you're using to play OnLive doesn't need to be that powerful. You can even run it on recent Android phones like the HTC Rezound over a 4G LTE network. OnLive worked with AT&T to make sure latency is low enough for gaming. Pretty amazing.

Ellis Hamburger, Business Insider

Using OnLive On The iPad 2

OnLive shipped me an iPad 2 and wireless controller all ready to go. All I had to do was turn on the controller (which connects using Bluetooth), tap the OnLive app (which is free), and I was off.

Once OnLive connected to its servers in D.C., which covers gamers on the East Coast, the experience was seamless. Watching other people play games in the Arena was a ton of fun, and the Marketplace makes it easy to buy games.

Except you can't buy games on the iPad.

Since Apple mandates that no app may use a "Buy" button inside its app without giving Apple a cut (a challenge Amazon faced this year with its Kindle app), the OnLive app for iOS has grayed out Buy buttons.

You'll have to download the OnLive app for your computer (which is also free) in order to purchase any games. It's a minor inconvenience, but is more evidence that Apple does sometimes create a very poor user experience. An app like OnLive cannot physically employ In-App Purchases the way Apple would like it to.

On Android devices, the Buy button is not grayed out.

Anyway, once I purchased a few games using my computer, I hopped back into the iPad and tested some out. The wireless controller works absolutely beautifully, and for games like Batman: Arkham City, you'll be so glad you have a controller in your hands. Prop up your iPad at the right angle, and the video gaming experience becomes even more personal than sitting on your couch in front of a TV.

You can use the controller to play OnLive games, or you can use the iPad's touch screen for select games. OnLive places a huge emphasis on touch for certain games, and is working with several developers to craft touch interfaces for games you wouldn't expect.

Take L.A. Noire, for example. OnLive worked with Rockstar Games to create a full-blown touch interface for the game, which thus far has only been playable with a controller on video game consoles. Using touch, you'll be able to examine items at a crime scene and swipe to flip an item over.

Games like Defense Grid actually really benefit from new touch controls, which had never been there before. Pinching to zoom to hone in on a section of the battlefield is super handy. OnLive is really excited about new touch experiences like these.

If you don't choose to buy the wireless controller, 30 games have either a Virtual Controller overlay (like you'll find in any other touch screen game) or a virtual mouse implementation. There are a variety of ways to play using OnLive.

Ellis Hamburger, Business Insider

The Not-So-Good

OnLive is an eye-opening gaming service, a clear as daylight sign of what's to come from the video game industry. Since every game is streaming to you, there's no downloading, no running to the store, and no noisy video game consoles.

But because OnLive streams games to you, your internet connection has to be pretty darn good. If you have a big TV, your internet connection will have to be even better. If you're using a tablet or smartphone, your connection won't need to be as good.

If your internet connection speeds are not great or are intermittent, you are in big trouble. Verizon FiOS at my apartment is generally stellar, but when speeds would occasionally drop out, I'd be left without all the games I've purchased.

OnLive scales video quality based on your connection, and drops the game entirely if your connection is poor enough. Sometimes I'd see stunning HD (and high quality sound), and other times I'd see a blur of colors and shapes. If you want to use OnLive wirelessly, I'd recommend at least a 2-4 Mbps download speed.

So in the end, if you have a great internet connection, OnLive is going to be a blast to use, and will be cheaper to use than any other video gaming console.

Ellis Hamburger, Business Insider

The Game Selection Is Just OK... For Now

OnLive has over 200 games to play in total, but few of them are brand new releases. You'll get Batman: Arkham City, but you won't get Modern Warfare 3.

Soon, OnLive will get new releases, just like any other console. It's just a matter of how long it takes to get developers on board. The company is in negotiations "with every big developer," and intends to make OnLive competitive with the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on a game to game level.

Should You Buy It?

The OnLive app for iOS and Android is free, and is launching tomorrow. It will run on the iPad 2 (iPhone coming soon), and every one of the best new Android smartphones and tablets.

You need to download it for one simple reason: it's free, and you can demo just about any game for free. Some games you can even demo for hours.

And unlike other game demos, OnLive actually lets you play the full game for a designated amount of time. If you're quick, you can get through a few levels of just about any game by the time runs out.

Once you're done demoing games for free, head to the Arena and watch others play, without paying a dime. It's called "spectating," and it's actually pretty fun. If you have friends using OnLive, you can watch them play too.

If you enjoy using the service, try OnLive's $9.99/month Play Pack, which gives you an all-you-can-eat selection of games from the past few years. These aren't no-name games, either. BioShock is in there, plus older games you can't play on any current consoles, like Fallout 2 or the original Deus Ex.

If you crave a controller and/or a big screen, buy an OnLive MicroConsole for $99.99 and/or the OnLive wireless controller ($49.99, which works with Android, iOS, PCs, Macs, and the MicroConsole).

Or, you can wait a year until tons of TVs ship with OnLive capabilities built in. Then, all you'll need is a controller.

You have a ton of options, which is a good thing. You'll always know that when you purchase a game, you can play it on just about any device with an internet connection.